The TVK government’s plans to overhaul food served to students have taken another turn, with Social Justice Minister and VCK leader Vanni Arasu saying that the government is considering a request from students for beef to be included in their diet.
The development comes weeks after School Education Minister Rajmohan announced that the government was considering a proposal to serve chicken biryani once a week under the school noon-meal scheme. The proposal has been submitted to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for consideration.
Now, speaking to the press during an inspection of the M.C. Raja Social Justice Hostel in Chennai, Vanni Arasu said that students had asked for beef to be added to the menu. He said the government would discuss the request with officials and students before taking a decision.
“Let me share some new information. We have already been serving mutton, and now we are introducing chicken. We serve chicken biryani, and in the mornings, we provide tea. In the evening, we serve Sukku coffee (dry ginger coffee).
However, nothing specific is served in the early morning. We do serve chicken biryani every Monday. Students have been asking for beef; many come from rural backgrounds and say that because mutton is expensive, they rarely—or never—ate it at home.
So, they are requesting beef. We will discuss this with the officials and decide how to proceed; I cannot make that decision on my own. We need to consult the students further, as opinions vary—some want it, while others don’t. We are figuring out how to address this and meet their needs effectively.”
Arasu said the government was making changes to the menu based on students’ preferences and would consult them before introducing further changes.
“We take any action only after understanding the students’ needs and opinions. We have already modified the food menu. For instance, we stopped serving dishes like kichadi and upma—including vermicelli varieties—and replaced them with items like idli and dosa, as the students expressed a dislike for upma. We are revising the menu item by item.
We are adjusting the menu to suit their preferences and are also upgrading the necessary infrastructure; we are implementing all these changes. So, we are making an effort to sit down and discuss all of this after the study is completed, and to transform it into something of significant importance.”
From Chicken Biryani To Beef
The latest proposal adds another layer to the TVK government’s evolving approach to food served to students.
On 29 July 2026, School Education Minister Rajmohan said the government was examining a proposal to introduce chicken biryani once a week under the noon-meal scheme. He said he had submitted a formal request, along with supporting data, to Chief Minister Vijay.
Rajmohan had presented the proposal as another change in the evolution of Tamil Nadu’s school meal programme.
“The Justice Party brought food, the Kamaraj rule made it a midday meal, Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) came and brought eggs into this, puratchithalaivar (M G Ramachandran) changed it to a nutritious meal, Amma (Jayalalithaa) came and brought eggs every week… many changes occurred. Similarly, I had a desire… I have put forward a request: why not serve chicken biryani once a week?”
The government had also said it planned to revise the breakfast menu, with frequently served items such as wheat and rava upma to be replaced with alternatives considered more nutritious and appealing.
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